1921 in Wales explained

This article is about the particular significance of the year 1921 to Wales and its people.

Incumbents

• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales – Dyfed^[1]
  • Lord Lieutenant of Anglesey – Sir Richard Henry Williams-Bulkeley, 12th Baronet Lord Lieutenant of Brecknockshire – Joseph Bailey, 2nd Baron Glanusk^[2]
• Lord Lieutenant of Caernarvonshire – John Ernest Greaves^[3]
• Lord Lieutenant of Cardiganshire – Herbert Davies-Evans^[4]
• Lord Lieutenant of Carmarthenshire – John Hinds
  • Lord Lieutenant of Denbighshire – Lloyd Tyrell-Kenyon, 4th Baron Kenyon Lord Lieutenant of Flintshire – Henry Gladstone, later Baron Gladstone^[5]
• Lord Lieutenant of Glamorgan – Robert Windsor-Clive, 1st Earl of Plymouth
• Lord Lieutenant of Merionethshire – Sir Osmond Williams, 1st Baronet^[6]
• Lord Lieutenant of Monmouthshire – Ivor Herbert, 1st Baron Treowen
  • • Lord Lieutenant of Montgomeryshire – Sir Herbert Williams-Wynn, 7th Baronet Lord Lieutenant of Pembrokeshire – John Philipps, 1st Viscount St Davids Lord Lieutenant of Radnorshire – Arthur Walsh, 3rd Baron Ormathwaite^[7]
• Archbishop of Wales – Alfred George Edwards, Bishop of St Asaph^[8]

Events

• 26 January - The Abermule train collision claims 17 lives,^[9] including that of the chairman of the rail company, Lord Herbert Vane-Tempest.
• 18 February - by-election: Ernest Evans becomes Liberal MP for Cardiganshire, winning the seat vacated by Matthew Vaughan-Davies, 1st Baron Ystwyth, on the latter's elevation to the peerage.^[10]
• 7 March - Francis Edward Mostyn is appointed Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cardiff.^[11]
• 1 April - Alfred Mond becomes Minister of Health.^[12]
• 1 April - 28 June - Lockout in the coal mining industry; A. J. Cook, the miner's leader, is sentenced to two months’ imprisonment for "inciting to unlawful assembly".^[13]
• 4 June - Cardiologist Thomas Lewis is awarded a knighthood in King George V's Birthday Honours.
• December - Leslie Morris becomes a founder member of the Communist Party of Canada.
• date unknown
  • The Anglo-Persian Oil Company Limited begins work on the UK's first oil refinery at Llandarcy.
  • Last copper smelting in the Lower Swansea valley.
  • Hugh Robert Jones founds the Byddin Ymreolaeth Cymru (“Home Rule Army”), which forms the basis for the development of Plaid Cymru.^[14]
  • John Bodvan Anwyl is appointed secretary of the Welsh dictionary project sponsored by the Board of Celtic Studies of the University of Wales.

Arts and literature

Awards

• National Eisteddfod of Wales (held in Caernarfon)
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - Robert John Rowlands, "Min y Môr"^[15]
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - Albert Evans-Jones^[16]

New books

English language

• Edwin Sidney Hartland - primitive society
• Evan Frederic Morgan, 2nd Viscount Tredegar - Trial by Ordeal^[17]
• Margaret Haig Thomas, Viscountess Rhondda - D. A. Thomas, Viscount Rhondda, by his Daughter and Others
• Francis Brett Young - The Black Diamond

Welsh language

• Edward Tegla Davies - Tir Y Dyneddon
• John Evan Davies - Blodau'r Grug
• Moelona - Y Wers Olaf^[18]

New drama

• Saunders Lewis - The Eve of St John

Music

• Ivor Novello & Dion Titheradge - "And Her Mother Came Too"
• The composer Peter Warlock returns to the family home at Cefn-bryntalch Hall, near Abermule, where he will stay until June 1924.

Film

• A teenage Roger Livesey makes his screen debut in The Four Feathers and in the same year appears in a film version of Where the Rainbow Ends.^[19]

Sport

• Cricket - Glamorgan CCC is admitted to crickets County Championship competition for the first time.

Births

• 5 February (in Birkenhead) - Marion Eames, novelist (d. 2007)^[20]
• 16 February - Bob Evans, rugby union international (d. 2003)
• 19 March - Tommy Cooper, comedian (d. 1984)^[21]
• 3 March - David James, cricketer (d. 2002)
• 21 March - Antony Hopkins, composer, pianist, conductor and broadcaster (d. 2014)^[22]
• 4 April - Eileen Beasley, teacher and campaigner (d. 2012)^[23]
• 9 April - Jack Jones, footballer (d. 2001)^[24]
• 6 May - Ted Morris, footballer (d. 2000)
• 21 May - Leslie Norris, poet (d. 2006)^[25]
• 28 May - Rhys Probert, aeronautical engineer (d. 1980)
• 4 June - Allen Forward, Wales international rugby union player (d. 1994)
• 8 June - Alwyn Williams, geologist (d. 2004)^[26]
• 28 June - R. Tudur Jones, theologian (d. 1998)^[27]
• 16 August - Roger Ashton (footballer), footballer (d. 1985)
• 31 August - Raymond Williams, academic and writer (d. 1988)^[28]
• 8 September - Sir Harry Secombe, entertainer (d. 2001)^[29]
• 13 September - Handel Greville, Wales international rugby union player (d. 2014)
• 15 September - Billy Cleaver, Wales international rugby union player and colliery manager (d. 2003)
• 12 October - Kenneth Griffith, actor and director (d. 2006)^[30]
• 3 October – Graham Davies, footballer (d. 2003)
• 18 October – Billy James, footballer (d. 1980)
• 17 December - Ron Davies, photographer (d. 2013)
• 21 December - T. Harri Jones, poet and academic (d. 1965)^[31]

Deaths

• 11 February - William Evans (Tonyrefail), minister and author, 82
• 25 February - John Thomas of Llanwrtyd, composer, 81
• 29 April - Billy Matthews, footballer, 37/38
• 6 June - James Havard Thomas, sculptor, 66^[32]
• 5 July - Alfred Onions, politician, 62^[33]
• 13 July - Emily Davies, educationist, 90^[34]
• 21 July - Tom Deacon - Wales international rugby union player
  • • 27 July John Jones (Myrddin Fardd), author, 85^[35]
  • (in London) - James Winstone, miners' leader and politician, 58^[36]
• 6 August (in Ilfracombe) - Sir David Brynmor Jones QC, lawyer and historian, 68 or 69^[37]
• 23 August (in Oswestry) - Francis Jayne, bishop and academic, 76^[38]
• 31 August (in Coorparoo, Queensland) - Thomas Rees, mayor of Brisbane, Australia, 76^[39]
• 3 October - William Rhys-Herbert, composer, conductor, organist and pianist, 53^[40]
• 9 October - Gwyneth Bebb, lawyer, 31^[41]
• 11 October - Willie Thomas, Wales international rugby captain, 55
• 12 November - Edward Windsor Richards, engineer, 90^[42]
• 15 December - Hopkin Maddock, Wales international rugby player, 40
• 16 December - Owen Morgan, journalist, 85^[43]
• 21 December - Joseph Morewood Staniforth, editorial cartoonist, 57 or 58^[44]

See also

• 1921 in Northern Ireland

Notes and References

1. Rhys . James Ednyfed . Rees, Evan (Dyfed; 1850-1923), Calvinistic Methodist minister, poet, and archdruid of Wales . s-REES-EVA-1850 . National Library of Wales . 2 August 2018 . 1959.
2. Book: Dod's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage of Great Britain and Ireland, Including All the Titled Classes. Dod. 1921. 356.
3. Book: National Museum of Wales. Adroddiad Blynyddol. The Museum. 1935. 3.
4. Book: The county families of the United Kingdom; or, Royal manual of the titled and untitled aristocracy of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. Dalcassian Publishing Company. 1860. 443.
5. Book: Ivor Bulmer-Thomas. Gladstone of Hawarden: A Memoir of Henry Neville, Lord Gladstone of Hawarden. Murray. 1936. 197.
6. Davies . Sir William Llewelyn . s-WILL-BRO-1800 . Williams family, of Bron Eryri, later called Castell Deudraeth, Meirionnydd. 30 January 2020.
7. Obituary, The Times, 15 March 1937
8. [Who's Who (UK)#Who Was Who|''Who was Who 1897–2007'']
9. Book: The Engineer. 1922. Morgan-Grampian (Publishers). 22.
10. F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results, 1918-1949; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1949 p550
11. Book: Chris Larsen. Catholic Bishops of Great Britain: A Reference to Roman Catholic Bishops from 1850 to 2015. 1 April 2016. Sacristy Press. 978-1-910519-25-7. 290.
12. Book: Cameron Hazlehurst. Sally Whitehead. Christine Woodland. A Guide to the Papers of British Cabinet Ministers 1900-1964. registration. 1996. Cambridge University Press. 978-0-521-58743-3. 270.
13. Book: Gleanings and Memoranda. 1928. 507.
14. Book: Meic Stephens. Cydymaith i lenyddiaeth Cymru. 1986. Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru. 978-0-7083-0915-5.
15. Web site: Winners of the Chair. National Eisteddfod of Wales. 3 October 2019.
16. Web site: Enillwyr y Goron. Eisteddfod. 8 June 2024. cy.
17. Book: Meic Stephens. The Oxford companion to the literature of Wales. registration. April 1986. Oxford University Press. 406.
18. Book: Welsh Bibliographical Society. The Journal of the Welsh Bibliographical Society. March 1932. Welsh Bibliographical Society. 275.
19. Book: James Robert Parish. Film Actors Guide. registration. 1977. Scarecrow Press. 343.
20. s8-EAME-MAR-1921. Eames, Marion Griffith (Williams, Gwladys Marion Griffith) (1921-2007), historical novelist. J. Beverley Smith. 2012. National Library of Wales. 23 September 2019.
21. Book: John Fisher. Tommy Cooper: Always Leave Them Laughing. 2006. HarperCollins Entertainment. 978-0-00-721510-2. 17.
22. News: Hewett. Ivan. Antony Hopkins obituary. The Guardian. 6 May 2014. 8 May 2014.
23. News: Stephens. Meic. Eileen Beasley: Welsh language campaigner. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/eileen-beasley-welsh-language-campaigner-8190320.html . 1 May 2022 . subscription . live. 11 August 2017. The Independent. 29 September 2012.
24. Web site: Jack Jones . Neil Brown . 23 July 2018.
25. Book: James A. Davies. Leslie Norris. 1991. University of Wales Press. 10.
26. News: Sir Alwyn Williams (obituary). The Guardian. 23 April 2004. 18 December 2009 . London . Howard . Brunton.
27. Web site: Jones, Robert Tudur (1921-1998), theologian, church historian and public figure. D. Densil Morgan. Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 23 September 2019.
28. Book: Fred Inglis. Raymond Williams. 23 June 2005. Routledge. 1-134-66238-6. 17.
29. Web site: Sir Harry Secombe. The Telegraph. 12 April 2001. 29 May 2019.
30. Book: Lawrence Goldman. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 2005-2008. 7 March 2013. OUP Oxford. 978-0-19-967154-0. 461.
31. s8-EAME-MAR-1921. Jones, Thomas Henry (Harri; 1921 - 1965), lecturer and poet. Mary Auronwy James. National Library of Wales. 23 September 2019.
32. Clausen, George. "James Havard Thomas." In Memorial Exhibition of Sculpture and Drawings by the Late J. Havard Thomas (1845–1921). London: Leicester Galleries, 1922, 5–10.
33. Book: Who was who: A Companion to Who's Who, Containing the Biographies of Those who Died During the Period .... 1929. A. & C. Black.. 797.
34. Book: Walter Yust. Encyclopædia Britannica. 1954. Encyclopædia Britannica. 83.
35. s-JONE-JOH-1836. JONES, JOHN (Myrddin Fardd; 1836-1921), writer, antiquary, and collector of old letters and manuscripts. William Rowlands. 1959. 21 January 2019.
36. s-WINS-JAM-1863. Winstone, James (1863-1921), miners' leader in South Wales. Huw Morris-Jones. 1959. 8 November 2019.
37. Book: The Law Times. 1922. Office of The Law Times. 108.
38. Web site: Jayne, Francis John (1845 - 1921). D. T. W . Price. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online edition, subscription access). Oxford University Press. January 2007. 2008-02-11.
39. News: Family Notices. . . 10 September 1921 . 30 January 2015 . 3 . National Library of Australia.
40. The Etude. Obituary. T. Presser. 1921. 769.
41. Book: Woman's Leader. 1921. 474.
42. (published digitally in 2011)
43. s1-MORG-OWE-1836. Morgan, Owen (Morien; 1836?-1921), journalist and miscellaneous writer. Robert Thomas Jenkins. National Library of Wales. 22 January 2020.
44. Book: Laurel Brake. Chandrika Kaul. Mark W. Turner. The News of the World and the British Press, 1843-2011: 'Journalism for the Rich, Journalism for the Poor'. 16 March 2016. Springer. 978-1-137-39205-3. 135.